ProPublica is a nonprofit news company that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive the biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
Donald Trump’s victory marks a turning point in the American experiment, and there is much to analyze about what that means.
I’ll leave that analysis to someone else.
Our role as an investigative journalist lies elsewhere. In the coming months and years, we will dedicate a significant portion of our staff to documenting the impact of what is expected to be a dramatic change in the federal government’s role in all of our lives. .
This is nothing new to us. Over the past three presidential administrations, we have provided detailed coverage of federal government actions, from the Navy’s tendency to build expensive, unseaworthy ships to regulators’ failures to protect public health and safety. .
As a reporter and editor for more than 40 years, I’ve watched the pendulum of national sentiment swing from President Ronald Reagan to President Barack Obama to President Trump. At this moment of seismic change for our nation, I would like to reflect on the words of Adolph S. Ochs when he took control of the New York Times in 1896. The paper “will report the news impartially, without fear or anxiety,” he wrote. We appreciate your support, regardless of political party, sect, or interest. ”
In the 21st century, “without fear or favor” means maintaining a fact-based, data-driven approach to journalism. Our job is to provide our readers with an independent and verifiable account of what’s going on, even if the president calls us enemies of the people or bloodsuckers. At ProPublica, we believe in providing receipts for every article we publish.
We are journalists, not resistance leaders.
Some would argue that ProPublica’s model of pro-reform journalism would be hampered if one party controlled both branches of Congress and the White House.
Some issues and topics reporters will focus on after Trump’s second term as president — and how to contact them
I disagree.
Time and again, we have seen powerful, documented stories spark change in states dominated by one party. As an example, our series on Florida’s poor treatment of families of children born with brain injuries prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature to take immediate action. A ProPublica article that included an audio recording of a 6-year-old El Salvadoran girl crying for her mother prompted an immediate end to the first Trump administration’s policy of deterring immigration by separating families.
As they have done with each presidential administration since 2008, reporters begin with basic questions about the government’s new policies. Who is benefiting? Who is suffering? What are the unintended consequences?
We are mindful that we may be entering an unprecedented new era. Trump’s first administration, which included two impeachments, was marked by his penchant for breaking norms.
There will be far fewer guardrails in Trump’s second term. The Supreme Court’s ruling that the president enjoys presumed immunity from prosecution for acts of office and the return of Republican control of the Senate and likely the House of Representatives means there are few, if any, checks on presidential power. are.
President Trump famously said he would not be a dictator “except on day one.” Indeed, it will be some time before it becomes clear how he intends to use the wide powers of the Prime Minister’s office.
A man watches as election results are announced at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center in Fairburn, Georgia. Credit: Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica
The next few months will be as chaotic as any transition period. Various figures around the president-elect will jockey for influence and leak transition team documents in hopes of achieving that goal. You will read many stories about proposals for fundamental changes in all government agencies. Some people may accept it. Many more will be thrown away, never to be seen again.
Of course, ProPublica reporters would be happy to receive any leaks that sources can share regarding this transition. If you have tips for our investigation, please contact the entire team at propublica.org/tips. You can also text or call 917-512-0201, or send a message to the number on Signal, a secure messaging app.
Trump’s campaign speeches have been less than linear, but he has been clear and consistent about his plans in many areas. There are also topics that ProPublica has covered extensively over the years, such as health care and taxes. Others, such as his plan to impose much higher tariffs on imported goods, open up entirely new areas of investigation for us.
The campaign promise with the biggest immediate impact will be his plan to deport millions of people who entered this country illegally. Campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told Fox News on Wednesday that Trump will launch the largest “massive deportation operation” in U.S. history on his first day in office.
Previous presidents, especially President Trump and President Obama in their first terms, have stepped up enforcement of immigration laws. But the United States hasn’t attempted mass arrests of immigrants since 1954, when the Border Patrol rounded up more than 1 million residents of Texas and California and deported them to Mexico.
We cover immigration issues closely, and our recent series of stories on the impact of immigration on towns like Del Rio, Texas, and Whitewater, Wisconsin highlight our focus on in-depth on-the-ground reporting. It is reflected. If President Trump follows through on his promise to round up and deport 15 to 20 million people, we will cover it beyond the headlines of the day.
Jesse Eisinger, one of our senior editors, wrote some comments this morning that summarize how I believe reporters at ProPublica and elsewhere should approach this moment. I told the staff.
“We are facing the greatest challenge of our professional lives,” he told them. “Now we will find out whether we really meant it when we said we would hold power to account. When our subjects have real power on their side and a willingness to use it, Will we do so? We may be harassed. We may be threatened with violence. We may be ignored. Are we just sunshine journalists or are we ready?”
People voted at Osborn High School in Detroit. Credit: Sarahbeth Maney/ProPublica
Source link
